Page 20 of A Gentleman's Kiss
9
The week after the tea went by in a blur. Aunt Georgiana and her cousins warmed to Lillian slightly, now that they knew she did not intend to marry Lord Wessex. Although, they were no longer frigid, they certainly weren’t friendly either. She accepted the balance of coolness and pretended affection she could get from them. Not being in a constant state of frazzled nerves had done wonders for her sleep, and for her own internal healing.
Lillian was glad for the reprieve from their anger. She was even invited with Susannah and Tamara on a walk in the park. Although they were not entirely genuine with her, it was nicer than the outright snubbing she previously suffered.
They walked three in a row, Lillian on the outside, and for the most part, Susannah and Tamara talked amongst themselves, but every once in awhile they would toss a comment her way. She didn’t mind so much. She enjoyed watching everyone in the park. There were merchants cutting through with wagons loaded with goods. Peddlers set up on wagons selling some magical elixir or another. Carriages, both covered and not rode slowly through, their occupants dressed to the nines, and even their horses lifting their noses in the air.
Some walked dogs. Others pushed whicker baby carriages, more heavily decorated than horse-drawn carriage. They came across many young ladies like themselves who were out enjoying a stroll on such an unusually beautiful day. Chaperones trailed behind them, just as two maids from the Duke and Duchess’ household trailed behind Lillian, and her cousins.
“I should like to get a little dog,” Susannah said. “I could walk him in the park and take him with me on carriage rides.”
Tamara wrinkled her nose. “He will only pee on your gown and chew up your slippers.”
“But he would be a pretty ornament don’t you think? I could put a ribboned hat upon his head, one to match my own. It would be charming. What about you Lillian?”
“I had a dog in America, but he passed a couple of years ago. We never got another one.” She remembered Dox fondly. He was a large hunting dog of mixed breed that they found half-starved, wondering their property. He’d taken to them right away, and they’d fattened him up quickly.
“Did you and he have matching ribboned hats?” Tamara said with a roll of her eyes.
“No,” Lillian said curtly, her tone saying without having to add the words how ridiculous she thought the notion.
Susannah, who happened to be standing right next to Lillian, twirled her parasol so that it bopped Lillian in the head. She winced, but pretended not to notice. She didn’t want to give Susannah the pleasure of knowing her evil trick hurt Lillian. So much for getting along pleasantly with her cousins.
She kept to herself the remainder of the walk, thinking of Lord Wessex and the fact that she had rarely seen him since the tea with Queen Victoria. The few times she had seen him, his smile and doting upon her were more than she could handle. He held doors for her, pulled out her chair at meal time. Picked flowers in the garden and bowed before her as he presented them, and brought her news clippings from the Americas. She even asked him to call her Lillian. The special things he did for her put them past the formalities. And since her family no longer thought she sought him out as a potential groom, they left them alone. In reality, Lillian did feel as though he was courting her, even if unofficially. And she quite liked it.
Her disappointment at the fiasco of the tea was still with her. Not the part about people mistaking that they were betrothed. No, her disappointment was rather the opposite. She didn’t know why, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she wished shewerebetrothed to Dominick.
She would be sad when he left Whitmore House. He was the only friend she had in London. He had only planned on staying for a few short weeks, and his parents would be opening up their house soon and expect him to join them.
Despite Dominick’s discreet courting of her and her growing fondness for him, Lillian was torn. There was still Sir Trenton—George.
She didn’t see Sir Trenton during the week following the tea, but she did receive a bouquet of red roses from him, with a note, stating he was sorry he hadn’t been able to call, and he would as soon as he finished the business he was attending to.
She didn’t know what to do. Her increasing affection for Lord Wessex, and her attraction to Sir Trenton weighed heavily on her mind. Who could she choose? Whoshouldshe choose?
Would either of them even offer for her? She couldn’t help but think that she was getting ahead of herself. Neither man had made a move to ask for her hand. And truth be told, they may not.
She sighed heavily and nearly stepped into a pile of someone’s dog’s mess who hadn’t bothered to remove it.
“Ew! Lillian, for goodness’ sake, do watch where you are going! We shall be forever shunned from Society if we continued our walk smelling of dog droppings,” Tamara hissed.
“Do not worry, dear cousin, I managed to avoid the pile.”
“Quit your daydreaming and pay attention,” Susannah said with irritation in her voice. “What are you woolgathering about anyway?”
She certainly couldn’t share that tidbit of information with her jealous cousins. As much as the Queen had reassured everyone that she was not in fact engaged to Lord Wessex, and despite them not seeming to notice his flirtatious behavior, it would still simply not do for her to inform her cousins that she had been thinking of just that thing!
“I was thinking about the ball this evening. What gown will you be wearing?”
“Oh, I am so looking forward to the ball!” Tamara exclaimed. Lillian drowned her out from there as she was known to talk for a good thirty minutes about her gown choices.
Both Dominick and George would be attending the ball that evening being thrown by her aunt and uncle. Perhaps then would be the time to test herself with both. A decision needed to be made of whom she would allow to pursue her in earnest—if indeed either of them were interested. Then she would need to figure out a plan of how to not only let the other down, but get her family to be agreeable to such a situation.
Lillian was filled with excitement. Her gown made just for this occasion, now lay on her bed, ready for her to fill it. The fabric, a beautiful ivory silk, perfectly matched the pearls she so dearly treasured. Just below her breasts, the gown was cinched and embroidered with more pearls and pink roses. The hem and sleeves were lined with French lace.
She was determined to have a good time this evening. Her guilt over her parents’ death had eased some. She knew in the back of her mind it was not her fault, she just needed to embrace that fact. Lillian couldn’t have predicted the tragic crash, and she didn’t set out with the intention of killing her parents. She’d been eager to beat the other husband hunting young ladies to the party, and to the chapel aisle. Out of that tragic happening, she’d learned a lot. She would not be selfish in the future, and would never put her interests ahead of safety.
Their walk soon came to an end and they headed back to Whitmore House to rest and refresh themselves before the ball. When Lillian entered her room, her gown was laid out on her bed, pressed and ready for her to put on.
